British scientists from the University of Exeter have obtained encouraging results showing the possibility of fully restoring coral reefs in a relatively short time. The study was published in the scientific journal magazine Current Biology (CurBio).
A recent experiment has shown that coral colonies can not only regenerate themselves but also restore important functions to the marine ecosystem.
The work was carried out as part of the Mars Coral Reef Restoration Program off the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, which has become one of the largest coral restoration projects in the world. About 40 years ago local reefs were almost completely destroyed by fishermen who killed fish with explosives.
During the restoration, steel structures into which coral fragments were transplanted were placed on the bottom. The process of complete restoration of the valve took four years.
“We found that restored coral reefs were able to grow at the same rate as healthy coral reefs just four years after coral transplantation,” said Ines Lange, one of the project participants.
Healthy coral reefs not only provide a home for a variety of marine life, but also protect shores from erosion and wave impacts.
happened before knownThe Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia has once again suffered from coral bleaching.